Story & Picture of what can happen when a client strays to a cheap price.

WOW! ...dang! Looks like you have a customer for life!

 

Same happened to us a couple years back. An impatient client took his 180 class buck to another guy who could do it for $300 (we charge $475) and in just a couple of weeks. He is so ashamed of the mount he is not even displaying it. Said it started to come apart just a few weeks after he got it and looks horrible. He's been our client for good every since and he never ever argues over the 8 months turn a round either anymore.

 

I just saw one of my competitors advertising and I quote "Dirt Cheap Prices" in our local pennysaver. Can you believe that?

 

Yes I can, have a guy around here that runs an ad every year in paper. The ad always says "dirt cheap prices" in big bold letters. Funny thing though is he gets tons of work!

Btw, I would love to had seen that mount before he cut those antlers off.

 

The ears tell us all we need to know. Uggggg lee.

 

that will teach em

 

You should raise your price more he's paying twice so he must have the money

 

You should put up a sign that says, CHEAP IS NOT GOOD, AND GOOD IS NOT CHEAP. And if they complain about price, ask them how much they have invested in equipment and gear, trail cameras, just the set up for a bow could be 1500$ new. All the hunting cloths and food plots and and optics, quads and utv's, trust me, it will shut them up real quick. And some these people want to throw a fit over you charging a couple hundred bucks more than some hack down the road after they have spent potentially thousands on accessories.

 

All that doesn't make a difference to MOST. As silly as it sounds you would think that the final result to a successful hunt our quest would be to pay for the best. But its not for many. Its a weird thing and I don't understand that human thought process on a deer mount. Maybe its because we are negotiable? Maybe its a novelty thing in there minds and the polish wears off after the pics are taken? Maybe their wives won't let them hang it up?

 

So,the more you charge the better the work you put out? If you charge $375.00 you put out junk?, just because you do not charge $500.00? Crappy taxidermy work is crappy work a any price.

 

Most people do not get to the point of charging $500 by putting out crappy work and most people couldn't get over $375 for crappy work......so NO charging $375 does not mean you do crappy work, but the price is a common denominator in most instances.

 

Here is the progression of most taxidermist (I said most) As the years go on you get better at perfecting your art/skill craft whatever you call it. Most of the time you figure out that it will take a little or sometimes allot longer to get someting to look life like and what you the taxidermist would consider perfect. So when i was charging $375 8 years ago I didn't do the inner nostril detail I do today. Same goes for the nose pad, inner ear, nictitating membrane etc etc etc you get the picture. Now 90% of the hunters out there don't know the difference as long as its not pointed out to them. But word gets around that the other taxidermists in your area do mounts with great detail. As I got better and my mounts looked better I attracted a better clientele IE: guys that hunted on several trips out of state etc etc etc....Now I was at a dilemma, do I do mediocre work and charge $400 for mediocre work using cheaper forms, glue, eyes, (you get the picture) and have a competition mount for $575? Knowing what I know today I would loose sleep over not putting out the best I can produce. If the guy up the street is fine with putting out uneven lip lines, wrinkled nose pads, un-crisp ear edges, unsymmetrical eyes, mounts without expression or the wrong expression, briskets uneven or pulled to high, wacky looking ear butts etc etc etc does that make it right if the hunters don't know any better? Not in my eyes it doesn't make it right. Or what about when you perfect your system and now you gotta produce two grades of work? BTW when you do this you tend to start producing the the latter more so on all your work. Or what about when a customer brings in a 180" WT? Do you feel comfortable mounting it knowing your not giving it 110% or worse spending 10+ hours on it for $250 profit? Now your cheating yourself. Charge 1 price, do the best your can and get paid for your skill.

 

Really Reminds me of the same things I ran into with graphic design...

Fast, Good or Cheap. Pick two.

When creating a project, clients must choose only two out of the three options. They can't have it all. It's a reality of life, clients must deal with it. Web designers must deal with it.

Good + Fast = Expensive
Choose good and fast and we will postpone every other job, cancel all appointments and stay up 25-hours a day just to get your job done. But, don't expect it to be cheap.

Good + Cheap = Slow
Choose good and cheap and we will do a great job for a discounted price, but be patient until we have a free moment from paying clients.

Fast + Cheap = Inferior
Choose fast and cheap and expect an inferior job delivered on time. You truly get what you pay for, and in our opinion this is the least favorable choice of the three.

 

Lola and Charley Haynes motto:

THE BITTERNESS OF POOR QUALITY REMAINS LONG AFTER THE SWEETNESS OF LOW PRICE IS FORGOTTEN.

 

Ok, so why did 2 taxidermy shops lower their deer price in my state? The first is close enough to be a competitor but also has employees and a big shop. Over the years I have heard people say the work quality of this place was not as good as mine( "factory taxidermy"). So he was 465.00 last year, but has lowered it to 399.00? The 2nd place is a very fine quality studio, also with employees, is not near enough to be considered my competition, but people go to there from all over anyway due to the quality. I met the owner and saw his work some years ago and it was excellent. However his website has a link to a pdf of his 2011 price list- but the link says "2008 rollback prices". His deer is 595.00 as listed on it.

So one of my best customers has gotten totally cheap on me, and pointed out the shop that was 465.00 going to 399.00 and was whining his butt off saying that guy's work is the same as mine bla bla bla, why I am 485.00...? To be honest, since this recession started I've gotten in very little work, and now this year everyone is doing their euro skulls themselves or there's some outfit about anywhere now with beetles doing them for wholesale prices to the public. Also more folks are doing the skulls themselves on deer that they would have had shoulder mounts done on. 2 guys I know who I've done work for opened up a processor very close to me, and they said they would tell people about me. I've got a 8x10 flyer on their door, cards, and brochures over there. I have not gotten a single call orginating from there yet.

Are things this bad in this region? How can it be, the MD/NoVA/DC region is one of the biggest wealth and job filled regions. Are my customers who used to bring things and their friends to me all turned into cheapskates? I know not all of them are out of work. It also seems nobody knows who I am anymore! Yet even the so called jobless have internet access- even a real hillbilly old customer of mine got a nice buck this year and told me he had seen my webpage. There does seem to be ALOT of taxidermists and when the economy was booming, well we all were too.

I DO wonder how many of these cheapskate types that seem in such large #'s these days were lined up on Black Friday, have 60" flatscreens, or spend a bunch of money on new guns, multiple 100.00 game cams, blinds, stands, feeders, 200.00+ scopes, a new bow or crossbow, underarmor hunting clothes, Scentlock brand,etc, etc. I know the guy trying to dicker my price down spent about 4000.00 for him and his son to shoot 2 gamefarm whitetails with huge racks- which he said he got at a discount as the game farm deer guys were " Amish and didn't seem to know what these are worth". I do have both bucks to mount for him, but it's as if he feels I am stealing candy from children to charge what I do. He had NO problem with my prices before the economy hit his self employment plumbing/home remodeling business, and I doubt he has lowered his prices.

Sometimes I wonder if I should jack my price to 625.00 then offer a special deal during hunting season. 20% off! Or offer a 350.00 mount but it says next to it in big letters "MADE IN CHINA".